Two Staten Island little leagues lend a helping hand

Photo by John MatteraHomerun Hopefuls' Richard and Rosemary Kalikow, from left, pose with East Shore Little League president Victor Torricelli, center, and vice president John Mattera, second from right, and Rev. Stephen Challman in front of sports equipment and uniforms donated by East Shore and South Shore little leagues.

FORT WADSWORTH -- While vacationing in the Dominican Republic in 2002, Brett Kalikow and his father Richard went in search of a baseball game.

What they found shocked them.

Brett, 15 at the time, was playing summer baseball for a team (New York Gothams) that had a coach and several teammates who were of Dominican descent. They told him if he was going to vacation in the Dominican Republic, he had to play ball with the locals.

He didn’t, however, expect to see 12- and 13-year old boys playing baseball running homemade bases without shoes, swinging tree branches for bats, and catching rocks inside milk cartons fitted like gloves. The impoverished suburbs of Punta Cana left many children without shirts to wear, much less sporting equipment with which to play.

That eye-opening experience transformed into a community project, and eventually Homerun Hopefuls, a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization, was born.

Since that time, Brett Kalikow, now a Harvard University graduate about to enter law school, and his family has shipped and delivered, both new, and gently used equipment, to various underprivileged areas of the Dominican Republic.

Now, through a friendship the Kalikows have with Rev. Stephen Challman, the assistant pastor at Holy Rosary parish in South Beach, Staten Island is lending a hand — specifically, the East Shore and South Shore little leagues.

“Rosemary Kalikow at one time, was one of the producers of the Regis and Kelly Show, and Fr. Steve worked for Neil Diamond,” said John Mattera, the vice president of East Shore LL. “Their paths crossed and they formed a friendship.”

A conversation between two old friends led to calls to Mattera and league president Victor Torricelli and the ball was rolling toward getting some baseball goods to the DR.

“When we heard about this organization, we immediately wanted to help,” said Mattera. “Like most leagues, we usually clean out our stuff once a year and just throw it away.

“When we heard the stories of the kids in the Dominican, we knew that our stuff would be like gold to them.”

Mattera called Frank Cambria, the president of Great Kills LL, but his league had just discarded their old stuff but he proimised to be involved in the donations next year.

Matttera put in one more call to John Iorio, a past president and first vice president now at South Shore LL, and the Tottenville-based loop immediately jumped onboard.

“East Shore LL is the greatest; they have the nicest people in the world,” said Iorio. “If they reach out we get involved. They have always been there for us and we are always there for them.”

What Iorio did was go through his league’s used equipment and extra uniforms, balls, etc. and made a sizeable donation to the cause.

“That’s why I’ve been involved here for 28 years — kids,” said Iorio. “If kids need something and we can help, we help.”

“South Shore was great, and very generous, and combined with what we had, and some smaller personal donations, it was a pretty decent amount of stuff,” said Mattera.

Saturday, Rosemary and Richard Kalikow showed up at East Shore LL and filled their truck with all of this year’s donations.

“I was so excited. They had such nice things to give us,” said Rosemary Kalikow. “This is like gold to us, and the people we give the stuff to. They have nothing. When we give them sneakers or cleats, the reaction is amazing. Almost none of them have never had any kind of footwear — ever.”

The Kalikows have been going to the DR every year and they always try and bring teenagers with them to help ditsribute the equipment. “We want them to meet the kids and put a face to where the donations go,” said Rosemary.

“Plus they see what it’s like to live in a third world country with no electricity and no running water. It makes them appreciate what they have when they get back home.”

Knowing Staten Islanders, and the generosity the little leagues have always shown for good causes, next year’s local donations figure to multiply tremendously.

And that should give Rosemary even more reason to smile.

“One of the greatest feelings is when we go back the following year and everywhere we go,” Rosemary said, “we see the shirts that we brought down being worn by the kids.”

If anyone wishes to make a donation of any sort, contact Rosemary Kalikow at 212-799-4682.